Privacy Issues in the Workplace

A LL A BOUT THE A UTHORS With offices in Los Angeles, San Francisco, Fresno, San Diego and Sacramento, the law firm of Liebert Cassidy Whitmore represents public agency management in all aspects of labor and employment law, labor relations, and education law. The Firm's representation of cities, counties, special districts, transit authorities, school districts, and colleges throughout California, encompasses all phases of counseling and representational services in negotiations, arbitrations, fact findings, and administrative proceedings before local, state and federal boards and commissions, including the Public Employment Relations Board, Fair Employment and Housing Commission, Equal Employment Opportunity Commission, Department of Labor and the Office for Civil Rights. The Firm regularly handles a wide variety of labor and employment litigation, from the inception of complaints through trial and appeal, in state and federal courts. The Firm places a unique emphasis on preventive measures to ensure compliance with the law and to avoid costly litigation. For more than thirty years, the Firm has successfully developed and presented training workshops and speeches on all aspects of employment relations for numerous public agencies and state and federal public sector coalitions, including the National League of Cities, National Association of Counties, International Personnel Management Association, United States Government Finance Officers Association, National Employment Law Institute, National Public Employer Labor Relations Association, California Public Employer Labor Relations Association, County Counsels’ Association of California, League of California Cities, California State Association of Counties, Public Agency Risk Management Authority, the Association of California School Administrators, the California School Boards Association, and the California Association of Independent Schools.

This workbook contains generalized legal information as it existed at the time the workbook was prepared. Changes in the law occur on an on going basis. For these reasons, the legal information cited in this workbook should not be acted upon in any particular situation without professional advice.

Copyright © 2021 Liebert Cassidy Whitmore. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored, transmitted, or disseminated in any form or by any means without prior written permission from Liebert Cassidy Whitmore.

T ABLE OF C ONTENTS

3-21 S

S ECTION 1 Overview ..................................................................................................................................................................8 A. Goal of Workbook..................................................................................................................................................8 B. Types of Employer Liability in Privacy Arena.......................................................................................................8 1. Federal and State Constitutions................................................................................................................8 2. Common Law Torts ...............................................................................................................................10 3. Federal and California Statutes ..............................................................................................................12 4. California Public Safety Officer’s Procedural Bill of Rights Act and The Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act ..............................................................................................................................................12 S ECTION 2 Hiring Inquiries and Background Checks....................................................................................................................13 A. Hiring Interviews, Questionnaires and Tests........................................................................................................14 B. Conducting Reference and Background Checks ..................................................................................................15 1. Information Available From Public Sources ..........................................................................................16 2. Obtain a Waiver .....................................................................................................................................17 3. Confidentiality of Sources Providing References ..................................................................................17 4. Policy for Responding to Reference Checks ..........................................................................................18 5. Credit Checks and “Consumer” Reports – Use is Limited to Decision Involving Specific Job Categories...............................................................................................................................................20 C. Criminal Records..................................................................................................................................................29 1. Timing for When Employer Can Obtain Conviction History ................................................................29 2. Criminal Records an Employer Must Not Seek or Use..........................................................................32 3. Criminal Records an Employer Must Obtain .........................................................................................33 4. Criminal Records an Employer May Obtain ..........................................................................................34 D. Fingerprint Records ..............................................................................................................................................38 E. Polygraph Examinations.......................................................................................................................................40 1. Employees in General ............................................................................................................................40 2. Public Safety Officers and Firefighters ..................................................................................................41 F. Responding to Reference Checks .........................................................................................................................41 1. Tort Claims ............................................................................................................................................42 2. Privileged Communications ...................................................................................................................42 3. Statutory Claims.....................................................................................................................................44 4. Mandatory Response to Police Department Background Investigation .................................................44 5. Duty to Maintain Background Check Information.................................................................................45 S ECTION 3 Medical Testing and Medical Information ..................................................................................................................46 A. Applicable Laws...................................................................................................................................................46 1. The Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA) .....................................................................46 2. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) .............................................................47 3. The Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA)...................................................................................47 4. The Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) .........................................................................................47 5. The California Family Rights Act (CFRA) ............................................................................................47 6. The Family Medical Leave Act of 1993 (FMLA) ..................................................................................48 7. The California Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1973 (Cal/OSHA)............................................48 8. The Occupational Safety and Health Act of 1970 (OSHA) ...................................................................48 9. Pregnancy Disability Leave (PDL) ........................................................................................................48 10. California Labor Code Section 3762......................................................................................................48 11. Genetic Information Nondiscrimination Act of 2008.............................................................................48

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12. California Patient Privacy Protections ...................................................................................................50 13. Adopting a Practical Approach ..............................................................................................................51 B. Pre-Offer Inquiries and Examinations — What You Can and Cannot Ask Job Applicants Before Making a Conditional Offer of Employment........................................................................................................................53 1. What Is a Medical Examination? ...........................................................................................................54 2. What Is a Conditional Offer of Employment? .......................................................................................54 3. Case Study on Conditional Offer of Employment .................................................................................55 4. Acceptable Pre-Offer Inquiries ..............................................................................................................56 5. Examples of Improper Pre-Offer Inquiries.............................................................................................56 6. Physical Agility/Fitness Testing.............................................................................................................57 7. Drug and Alcohol Testing of Applicants ...............................................................................................58 8. Psychological Testing ............................................................................................................................58 C. How to Handle the Obviously Disabled Applicant ..............................................................................................58 D. Post-Offer Medical Examinations and Inquiries ..................................................................................................59 1. Requirements for Post-Offer Medical Examinations .............................................................................59 2. HIV Testing Is Impermissible ................................................................................................................60 E. Existing Employment Stage: Those Who are Already Employed ........................................................................60 F. Denial of Employment Based on Medical Examination Results ..........................................................................60 1. Employers May Reject Applicants Whose Job Performance Would Endanger the Applicant or Others ................................................................................................................................................................61 2. Case Study on FEHA “Safety-Of-Others” Test .....................................................................................61 3. Case Study on Pre-Employment Medical Examinations........................................................................62 G. Current Employees ...............................................................................................................................................62 1. Requests for Reasonable Accommodation.............................................................................................63 2. Requests for Medical Leave under The FMLA and CFRA....................................................................64 3. Certification of Entitlement to Pregnancy Leave ...................................................................................67 4. Workers’ Compensation.........................................................................................................................68 5. Drug Testing of Current Employees ......................................................................................................68 H. Fitness for Duty Examinations .............................................................................................................................68 1. When Is a Fitness for Duty Examination Allowed? ...............................................................................69 2. When Is a Fitness for Duty Examination Required? ..............................................................................69 3. Case Studies on Fitness for Duty Examinations.....................................................................................70 4. What Information Is an Employer Entitled to Receive Following a Fitness for Duty Examination? ....71 5. What Information Can the Employer Give a Doctor? ............................................................................71 I. Can the Doctor Have an Employee’s Prior Medical Records?.............................................................................72 J. Handling and Maintenance of Employee Medical Information ...........................................................................72 1. Requirements Regarding Employee Medical File..................................................................................72 2. Confidentiality of Medical Information Act...........................................................................................73 3. Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act.............................................................................75 K. Disclosing Medical Information ...........................................................................................................................77 1. Employee Requests ................................................................................................................................78 2. Responding to Subpoenas ......................................................................................................................78 3. Case Studies Involving Disclosure of Medical Information ..................................................................81 S ECTION 4 Drug and Alcohol Testing and Information.................................................................................................................82 A. Employer-Regulated Drug and Alcohol Testing ..................................................................................................84 1. General Legal Standards ........................................................................................................................84 2. Types of Drug Testing for Existing Employees .....................................................................................88 3. Implementation of Drug and Alcohol Testing Programs and Duty to Bargain ......................................94 B. DOT-Regulated Drug and Alcohol Testing..........................................................................................................95 1. Records Check Requirement ..................................................................................................................95 2. The Information to Be Released.............................................................................................................96

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3. When the Information Must Be Obtained ..............................................................................................96 4. Consequences of Prior Violations ..........................................................................................................96 5. Duties of Requesting and Receiving Employers ....................................................................................96 6. Record-Keeping .....................................................................................................................................96 C. Maintaining Drug and Alcohol Test Results ........................................................................................................97 S ECTION 5 Personnel Records and Files........................................................................................................................................97 A. Internal Access to Personnel Records and Files ...................................................................................................98 1. Privacy Rights of Third Parties When Employees Inspect Own Personnel Files...................................98 2. Checklist: Employee Personnel File Inspection Procedure ..................................................................100 3. Controlling Internal Access to Personnel Files ....................................................................................100 B. Third Party Access to Personnel Actions, Records, and Files.................................................................................101 1. Brown Act ............................................................................................................................................101 2. California Public Records Act..............................................................................................................105 3. Union Access to Personnel File and Contact Information ...................................................................114 4. Worksite Inspections of Personnel Files by Immigration Enforcement Agents ...................................115 C. Access to Personnel Records and Files in Litigation..........................................................................................117 1. Overview..............................................................................................................................................117 2. Electronically Stored Information ........................................................................................................118 3. EEOC/DFEH Requests for Information...............................................................................................119 4. Subpoenas for Personnel Records ........................................................................................................120 5. Discovery of Police Records ................................................................................................................122 D. Employer’s Obligation to Prevent Identity Theft ...............................................................................................125 1. Section 114 of the FACT Act...............................................................................................................125 2. Section 315 of the FACT Act...............................................................................................................127 3. The California Consumer Privacy Act .................................................................................................127 S ECTION 6 Searches and Surveillance .........................................................................................................................................128 A. Searches of Work Areas .....................................................................................................................................129 1. Employees in General ..........................................................................................................................129 2. Public Safety Officers and Firefighters ................................................................................................135 3. Checklist: Guidelines for Conducting Searches ...................................................................................136 B. Searches of Employees and Employee Property ................................................................................................136 C. Monitoring of Electronic Communications ........................................................................................................137 D. Applicable Federal Law .....................................................................................................................................138 1. Reasonable Expectation of Privacy Standard Applies .........................................................................138 2. Federal Statutes Prohibit Interception of Electronic Transmissions.....................................................139 3. Business Use and Notice Exceptions ...................................................................................................141 E. Applicable California Law .................................................................................................................................144 F. California Electronic Communications Privacy Act – Application to Public Employer's Ability to Search Employer Owned Electronic Devices and Emails ..............................................................................................150 G. Guidelines For Electronic Communications in the Workplace ..........................................................................152 1. “Attorney-Client Communications” Sent Through Work E-Mail........................................................152 2. Other Types of “Privileged” Communications Sent Through Work E-Mail ..................................153 H. Video Surveillance of Employees ......................................................................................................................154 I. Tracking Devices................................................................................................................................................158 J. Biometrics ..........................................................................................................................................................159 K. Employer’s Affirmative Duty to Report Employees’ Unlawful Activity on the Internet...................................160

S ECTION 7 Regulation of Personal and Off-Duty Conduct..........................................................................................................160

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A. Workplace Relationships....................................................................................................................................162 1. Marital Status and Anti-Nepotism Policies ..........................................................................................162 2. Checklist: Guidelines for Anti-Nepotism Policies ...............................................................................162 3. Consensual Workplace Romances and Sexual Favoritism...................................................................163 4. Anti-Fraternization Policies .................................................................................................................164 5. Investigation of Workplace Romances and Sexual Favoritism............................................................166 B. Off-Duty Conduct...............................................................................................................................................168 1. Applicable Legal Standards .................................................................................................................168 2. Outside Employment............................................................................................................................180 3. Smoking ...............................................................................................................................................181 4. Grooming Standards.............................................................................................................................183 5. Residency Restrictions .........................................................................................................................183 6. Language ..............................................................................................................................................184 7. Media Attention ...................................................................................................................................184 8. Financial Status ....................................................................................................................................184 C. Use of Image or Likeness ...................................................................................................................................185

E NDNOTES .................................................................................................................................................................186

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O VERVIEW

S ECTION 1

A. G OAL OF W ORKBOOK Privacy rights implicate many of the actions employers take concerning employees and prospective employees. There is a privacy element to many of the laws that protect applicants and employees in today’s workplace. For example, anti-discrimination laws protect applicants and employees not only from discrimination, but also from giving up personal information such as medical condition or national origin that might make them vulnerable to discrimination. Privacy rights arise from a vast array of federal and state laws that are not only numerous, but often difficult to interpret. Nevertheless, employer obligations and liability in the area of privacy rights rapidly continues to expand. Thus, an understanding of privacy rights is essential to employer due diligence, both to comply with the law and to prevent and defend legal challenges. This workbook is designed to be a reference tool for employers. It is divided into the major personnel areas impacted by privacy. When faced with an issue in one of these areas, employers can turn to the applicable section of this workbook for an overview of their legal obligations. Of course, no reference guide is a substitute for expert legal counsel. We recommend that employers seek the advice of employment law counsel for difficult or complex employee privacy right questions. B. T YPES OF E MPLOYER L IABILITY IN P RIVACY A RENA This workbook covers the specific laws that apply to each of the major personnel areas impacted by privacy. The following, however, is the big picture concerning employer liability in the area of workplace privacy. Employees pursuing a legal challenge against their employers on the basis of privacy rights can rely upon one or more of the following categories of law. a. Federal Constitution: First, Fourth, and Fourteenth Amendments While there is no specific federal right to privacy explicitly stated in the United States Constitution, the due process and equal protection clauses of the Fourteenth Amendment of the United States Constitution have been interpreted to confer a right of privacy in certain personal matters. 1 The United States Supreme Court has also interpreted the First and Fourth Amendments to the United States Constitution to confer individual privacy rights in the area of employee free speech, property, association, and personal space. Fourteenth Amendment employee privacy rights boil down to one of two categories: (1) the right not to have to disclose or uncover personal information; 2 and (2) the right not to have employers interfere with employee personal lives. 3 1. F EDERAL AND S TATE C ONSTITUTIONS

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The First Amendment to the United States Constitution limits government employers from abridging employees’ freedom of speech, religion and association. One example is when an employer attempts to control an employee’s political affiliations. 4 The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution protects personal privacy by prohibiting unreasonable searches and seizures. It also protects matters that an individual seeks to preserve as private and that he or she does not knowingly expose to the public. This includes searches of employees and of employee lockers, desks, and personal belongings. b. California Constitution: Invasion of Privacy Action Article I, Section 1, of the California Constitution expressly confers a right to privacy. It provides: “All people are by nature free and independent and have inalienable rights. Among these are enjoying and defending life and liberty, acquiring, possessing, and protecting property, and pursuing and obtaining safety, happiness, and privacy.” 5 In the leading case interpreting the right to privacy under Article I, Section 1, of the California Constitution, Hill v. NCAA , 6 the California Supreme Court identified the core values furthered by the constitutional right as informational privacy and autonomy privacy. To prove an invasion of privacy under the California Constitution, a person must establish: (1) a legally protected privacy interest; (2) a reasonable expectation of privacy; and (3) a serious invasion of the privacy interest. Employers may justify an invasion of privacy by asserting legitimate competing or countervailing interests. If the interests asserted by the employer justify the invasion of privacy, the intrusion does not violate the California Constitution. The California Supreme Court reaffirmed the above test in case Williams v. Superior Court 7 . The Court found a flexible approach applies to balancing privacy interests. In Williams , the Court permitted the discovery of the names and address of other employees by plaintiffs who may have an interest in a class action to recover wages over the assertion of privacy objections raised by the employer. The Court noted that the Hill requirement of a reasonable expectation of privacy was not met on the employees’ behalf, as employees could reasonably expect “or even hope” that their contact information would be shared with a plaintiff seeking to vindicate their rights. The Court further explained that not every assertion of a privacy interest under the California Constitution must be overcome by a compelling interest. A compelling interest is only required for “an obvious invasion of an interest fundamental to personal autonomy.” However, “when lesser interests are at stake,” a “more nuanced framework” applies, “with the strength of the countervailing interest sufficient to warrant disclosure of private information varying according to the strength of the privacy interest itself, the seriousness of the invasion, and the availability of alternatives and protective measures.” 8  Informational privacy embodies the right against the unauthorized dissemination or misuse of sensitive and confidential information.  Autonomy privacy refers to the federal constitutional tradition of safeguarding certain intimate and personal decisions from government interference.

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The constitutional right of privacy represents a potential limitation on any type of practice or procedure whereby an employer attempts to gather or disseminate private information about an employee or applicant. The actual scope of the limitations placed on the employer must be determined by a careful analysis of the interests involved in each particular case, and by a balancing of those interests. 2. C OMMON L AW T ORTS Employees may seek recovery for interference with their privacy rights under several common-law tort theories. The tort of invasion of privacy encompasses four different types of actions. These are:

 intrusion upon physical solitude or seclusion;



public disclosure of private facts;

 placing someone in a false light in the public eye; 9 and



appropriation of name or likeness.

The Government Claims Act establishes the limits of common law liability for a public entity. A public entity is not liable for an injury, whether such injury arises out of an act or omission of the public entity or a public employee or any other person. 10 The common law tort of invasion of privacy may be claimed only against a person in his or her individual (not official) capacity. Case law abolishes common law tort liability for public entities. 11 Claims for the public disclosure of private facts and for false light have been treated similarly by the courts. To support a claim for one of these privacy violations, an individual must show that there was a public disclosure of private facts concerning him or her. The disclosure must have been an unwarranted disclosure of the individual’s private life outside of the realm of legitimate public interest that would be offensive and objectionable to a reasonable person of ordinary sensibilities. 12 Publication disclosure means disclosure to the public generally or to a large group of people. 13 Publication can be either orally or in writing. In the 2013 case Ignat v. Yum! Brands, Inc. 14 , a California Court of Appeal held an employer was liable for orally disclosing private facts about an employee. In that case, the employee suffered from bipolar disorder and occasionally missed work due to the side effects of her medication. After returning from an absence, the employee’s immediate supervisor informed her that she had told everyone in the department that the employee was bipolar. The employee alleged that after her supervisor revealed her condition, her co-workers shunned her and one of them asked her if she was likely to “go postal” at work. When the employee was terminated a few months later, she sued, alleging one cause of action for invasion of privacy for public disclosure of private facts. The trial court granted the employer’s motion for summary judgment on the ground that the supervisor did not disclose the employee’s condition in writing. The employee appealed, and the Court of Appeal reversed. The Court of Appeal determined that private facts did not have to be disclosed in writing in order to maintain a

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cause of action for public disclosure of private facts as facts can be just as widely disclosed through oral media as through written media.

Indirect public disclosure can also support a claim for violation of privacy rights. In the unpublished Ninth Circuit case Tecza v. University of San Francisco 15 , the university promised in its Student Handbook to keep all information about a student’s disability confidential. However, university official discussions in front of others revealed that the student was receiving testing accommodations. This in essence revealed that the student had a disability. Thus, the court permitted a lawsuit to move forward on the theory of breach of contract and tortious disclosure of private facts. The Ninth Circuit also suggested that the lower court should also have considered a claim for violation of the student’s constitutional right of privacy.

NOTE : Public agencies should be very careful to treat all medical information confidentially. Supervisors and managers should only be informed of restrictions on the work or duties of employees with disabilities and necessary reasonable accommodations. Co-workers should not be informed of the nature of the disability affecting an employee. Divulging medical information can violate a number of California and federal laws, including the Fair Employment and Housing Act, the California Family Rights Act, the Confidentiality of Medical Information Act (CMIA), and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

A publication is protected by the “common interest privilege” and is not actionable if it is made by someone with an interest in the matter to another person also holding an interest in the matter. 16 In order for this privilege to apply, the communicator and the recipient must have a common interest, the communication must be made without malice, and the statements must be reasonably calculated to further that common interest. 17 Courts have found an interest exists between an employer and its employees, and between a prior employer and a prospective employer. 18 The privilege to speak can be lost, however, if malice exists in the communication or if the publication goes beyond what is necessary to satisfy the mutual interest that creates the privilege. Civil Code section 47(c) defines privileged publications and broadcasts that can be used as a defense to claims of defamation, including the common interest privilege. AB 2770 expanded the categories of privileged communications not subject to defamation claims to include the following: (1) complaints of sexual harassment made by an employee, without malice, to an employer based on credible evidence; (2) communications between the employer and interested persons, without malice, regarding a complaint of sexual harassment; and (3) communications from an employer, without malice, regarding a current or former employee to a prospective employer of that employee to note if they would rehire the current or former employee and whether such decision is based upon the employer’s determination that the employee engaged in sexual harassment. The reference to “without malice” is generally interpreted to mean that the information disclosed must be objective and factual, and not based solely on an opinion.

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In contrast, a claim of intrusion upon seclusion does not involve a publication, but rather an unreasonable and highly offensive intrusion upon a person’s solitude or private life. 19 These types of claims can arise when an employer requires an individual to divulge information about himself or herself or when an employer conducts an investigation of an employee. To determine whether an intrusion is reasonable, courts examine factors including whether the means used are abnormal and whether the purpose for intruding is proper.

Not all intrusions are improper. For example, no right of privacy exists for matters or things within the public domain or in places one typically expects others to be. 20

The final type of privacy tort is seldom, if ever, asserted in the employment relationship. It involves use of someone’s name or likeness for commercial purposes without his or her consent.

3. F EDERAL AND C ALIFORNIA S TATUTES There is also a vast array of statutes resulting from legislation passed by Congress and the California legislature that prohibit specific types of privacy intrusions and provide bases for recovery by employees, and, in some cases, government prosecutors. For example, Labor Code section 432.7 prohibits an employer from seeking or using arrest records of job applicants. Many of these statutes are discussed in more detail in the sections to which they apply below. 4. C ALIFORNIA P UBLIC S AFETY O FFICER ’ S P ROCEDURAL B ILL OF R IGHTS A CT AND T HE F IREFIGHTERS P ROCEDURAL B ILL OF R IGHTS A CT The Public Safety Officers’ Procedural Bill of Rights Act (POBR), Government Code section 3300, et seq ., specifies elements of procedural rights that must be accorded to public safety officers when they are subject to investigation or discipline. Employees subject to this Act include city police officers, county deputy sheriffs, state police and highway patrol officers, D.A. investigators, parole and probation officers, school district security officers, etc. While this Act falls under the category of California Statutes, it bears specific mentioning here because it governs many of the areas of right of privacy of public safety officers in their personnel relationship with employers. The Act is discussed throughout this workbook. Modeled in large part on the POBR, the Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act (FBOR) is codified at Government Code sections 3250 through 3262. The FBOR generally applies to any firefighter employed by a public agency, including a firefighter who is a paramedic or an emergency medical technician. However, the FBOR does not protect inmate firefighters or individuals who are already protected by the POBR, such as arson investigators. Moreover, unlike the POBR, which protects probationary peace officers, the FBOR does not cover firefighters who have not yet completed their probation. The FBOR creates privacy rights for firefighters that impact investigations and discipline.

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H IRING I NQUIRIES AND B ACKGROUND C HECKS

S ECTION 2

An applicant or employee’s right to privacy is weighed against an employer’s interest in disclosure. 21 Employers should review their hiring (including promotional) and background check processes to make sure they do not violate applicants’ privacy rights. More specifically, employers should verify that inquiries are not made which cannot be justified by some legitimate reason. Hiring and background inquiries should be tailored to determine only if the applicant can perform the essential duties of the job and will otherwise be a quality employee.

 Legal Snapshot: Hiring Inquiries & Background Checks

 Constitutional Right of Privacy, Cal. Const., art. I, § 1  Fair Employment and Housing Act (FEHA), Cal. Gov. Code §§ 12900, et. seq.  American with Disabilities Act (ADA), 42 USC §§ 12101, et. seq.  Public Safety Officers’ Procedural Bill of Rights Act (POBR), Cal. Gov. Code §§ 3300, et seq .  Firefighters Procedural Bill of Rights Act (FOBR), Cal. Gov. Code §§ 3250, et seq .

Applicable laws:

 Various other federal and California statutes



Common law torts



Applicants and employees

Who and what is protected?:

 Personal information that is not job-related

 Ask applicants or employees for personal information that is not job-related  Investigate or seek personal information about applicants or employees that is not job-related

Generally, employers must NOT:

 Applicants’ and employees’ interest in

Applicable balancing test:

keeping personal information private versus employer’s legitimate interest in determining qualifications to perform the job in question

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A. H IRING I NTERVIEWS , Q UESTIONNAIRES AND T ESTS All hiring questions must relate to the applicant’s ability to perform the job. Questions about religious beliefs, sexual preferences or habits, sexual orientation or gender identity, financial condition, family relationships, and other such private information may not only violate anti- discrimination laws, but may also violate constitutionally protected privacy rights. The best way to ensure that screening questions are job-related is to evaluate the job position in question. Once the agency is fully aware of the duties and requirements of a job, the agency is in a better position to tailor its interview questions to those that test an applicant’s ability to perform that job.

Fraternal Order of Police v. City of Philadelphia 22 A federal court was called upon to decide the constitutionality of an employment questionnaire that contained questions about medical, psychological, and financial condition, and similar types of information. The questionnaire was given as a condition to reassignment to an elite police unit, and contained the following questions (that the trial court found violated the employees’ right to privacy): “List any physical defects or disability, also list any extended time spent in the hospital for any reason.” “Are you now or have you ever been…treated or observed by any doctor or psychiatrist…for any mental or psychiatric condition?” “Do you gamble? a) How often? b) How much?” “List each loan or debt over $1000….” These questions were ultimately approved by the Third Circuit but based only on the grounds that the employer issued the questionnaire for a position in an “elite investigations” police unit. The court also held that the individuals applying for the elite unit had a decreased expectation of privacy. After subsequent appeals on whether the City had sufficient safeguards against unnecessary disclosure of the confidential information and whether the questions violated the officers’ rights against self-incrimination, the Third Circuit approved the use of the questions and vacated the district court’s injunction against the use of the questions. 23 National Aeronautics and Space Admin. v. Nelson et al 24 . The U.S. Supreme Court held that form questionnaires asking employees about treatment or counseling for recent illegal drug use and asking open-ended questions of the employees’ landlords and designated references did not violation the employees’ right to information privacy. The applicants sought contract positions not involving classified material with the Jet Propulsion Laboratory. They were required to complete a Form 85 which asked for: (1) background information, including educational, employment, residential, and military histories; (2) the names of three references; and (3) disclosure of any illegal drug use within the past year, along

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with any treatment or counseling received for such use. Each of the applicants' references, employers, and landlords were sent a different questionnaire, known as a Form 42, which sought information about the applicant's honesty, trustworthiness, and any adverse information about the applicant. The U.S. Supreme Court held that, assuming a constitutional right to information privacy exists, the information requested in the forms was “reasonable in light of the Government interests at stake.” 25 Under the federal Privacy Act 26 , the information collected through the questionnaires is “shielded by statute from ‘unwarranted disclosur[e].’” 27 The Privacy Act, which “covers all information collected during the background-check process,” permits the Government to “maintain records” about a person “only to the extent the records are ‘relevant and necessary to accomplish’ a purpose authorized by law.” 28 Further, the Act requires “written consent” before the Government can disclose records relating to a person. 29 These provisions require the Government to take appropriate safeguards to protect the information collected through the questionnaires. Thus, the Government’s collection of the information does not violate a constitutional right to information privacy. DFEH Guidance on Transgender Rights in the Workplace 30 Employers “should not ask questions designed to detect a person’s gender identify, including asking about their marital status, spouse’s name, or relation to household members of another.” 31 Employers should also “not ask questions about a person’s body or whether they plan to have surgery.” 32

B. C ONDUCTING R EFERENCE AND B ACKGROUND C HECKS Employers have a strong interest in, and may even be statutorily required, to conduct reference or background checks to determine whether job candidates are qualified for employment and whether current employees are qualified for promotion or new assignments. An employer should review its background check process to make sure that it does not violate applicants’ privacy rights. Specifically, employers should verify that all inquiries may be justified by a legitimate reason. Background inquiries should be tailored to determine if the applicant can perform the essential duties of the job and will otherwise be a quality employee. These might include questions about the applicant’s job skills, disciplinary history, initiative, willingness to learn new tasks, ability to function with co-workers and supervisors, leadership skills, as well as innumerable other job-related factors. By contrast, questions about religious beliefs, sexual preferences or habits, financial condition, family relationships, and other such private information are seldom job-related. The only proper scope of a background check is one that is job related – to ascertain an applicant’s qualifications for employment.

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1. I NFORMATION A VAILABLE F ROM P UBLIC S OURCES In conducting background checks on applicants, many employers resort to publicly available information, including online resources. “Googling” the name of an applicant to search for entries in blogs, or social networking websites like LinkedIn or Facebook has now become a common practice for many employers. This type of online background check does not generally put the prospective employer at legal risk for an invasion of privacy claim because the information obtained online is publicly available, and in many instances it is posted by the job applicant on his or her LinkedIn or Facebook page. 33 However, an employer may want to employ one of the following approaches in its online background checks:

 Provide notice to the job applicant prior to searching. The employer can either access the site before there is a chance for the job applicant to modify it, or access the site after the applicant has had an opportunity to modify the site/page.  Access without notice to the job applicant, but provide the applicant with an opportunity to respond to questions concerning online information.  Access the information without notice and provide no opportunity for the applicant to respond; or

 Not access the online information at all.

While information found on public sites on the Internet is readily available to anyone, caution should be used in relying on this information for exactly the same reason. Information found on the Internet may not accurately reflect the qualities or capacities of the applicant in question. In recent years, for example, there have been numerous reports of false information posted either out of spite or merely as a joke. Even if such information is true or accurate, the question still remains whether it is pertinent to the applicant’s qualifications for the position in question. In addition, employers must be careful not to consider information found on the Internet that the employer may not legally consider in screening applicants. For example, social networking pages may provide information about an applicant’s protected status such as the applicant’s age, race, marital status, religion and similar information. This is information that an employer may not consider in making hiring decisions. Accordingly, when employers consider online sources of information, employers should be careful in ensuring that: (1) the information found is true and reliable (2) the information is pertinent to the applicant’s ability to perform the job, and (3) that the information falls into a category that the employer may legally elicit from the applicant during an interview.

Privacy Issues in the Workplace ©2021 (s) Liebert Cassidy Whitmore 16